The Nomad
by Duochanfan
Summary: A new case becomes pain full for Spencer, as his past is dredge up. As this Unsub hit close to home once before. Will Aaron Hotchner be able to help his friend? Future HotchReid.
1. Chapter 1

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Title: The Nomad

Author: Duochanfan

Beta: Stacey, thanks bab, for the help and the wonderful ideas you have helped add to this fic!!

Rating: Mature (to be on the safe side)

Warnings: Will be Slash, mention of rape, murder, (maybe a little more graphic later unsure at the moment.)

Spoilers: LDSK, The Fox and Natural Born Killer. The first three chapters deal with the after affects of each episode and then it's onto the main part of my fic.  
Parings: Hotch/Reid later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, never will. I'm just playing with the wonderful characters for a while until I return them.  
Summary: A new case becomes pain full for Spencer, as his past is dredge up. As this Unsub hit close to home once before. Will Aaron Hotchner be able to help his friend? Spoilers for LSDK, The Fox and natural Born Killer.

A/N: Thanks to my sister who helped with the plot at the beginning, she had only watched two episodes lol, then again I've only watched nine of them. And one massive thank you to Stacey, for not only beta reading this but for also helping me close up the plot lines and giving me a few more ideas on how to make this fic better. Huggles

This is my first Criminal Minds Fic so be warned!

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'**Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one.' C.S Lewis**Chapter One 

Spencer sighed as he walked with Hotch towards his car, the latest case still fresh in his mind. The young genius knew that the dark haired man still felt guilty about what he'd had to do in the hospital in Maryland. Spencer had already told him that he was alright, and that he only had a few bruises. Though that was a lie; he had a mild concussion from when Dowd had hit him with the rifle, and a few bruised ribs from Hotch. He was supposed to tell Gideon and Hotch about them, but he knew that if he told Gideon, then the older agent would have told Hotch, and Spencer didn't want the other agent to feel any worse than he already did.

He got in the car after Hotch unlocked it and had to suppress a wince as he jostled his ribs, sending a few shooting pains through his chest. Hotch started up the car and drove out of the parking lot. Spencer could see that Hotch was sending small glances his way, he could see the worry and the guilt in Hotch's warm brown eyes.

"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" Hotch asked as he shot the young man another worried look. Stealing glimpses over to the passenger seat, Hotch kept seeing evidence of his guilt as he stared at the increasing discoloration of bruises on Reid's face.

Spencer smiled and turned to face his colleague and friend. "Yes Hotch. I'm fine. You don't have to worry," he sighed as he tried to reassure the older man.

The rest of the journey was filled with silence, as neither man knew what to really say to the other. Spencer didn't think that Hotch fully believed the words he had been saying since he had stepped onto the plane. The doctors had explained that someone should be with him for the next forty-eight hours to make sure that there was no lasting damage from the blow to the head. Although, he had never been one to follow doctor's orders.

Hotch and the others had watched over Spencer for the last few hours and all noted that he hadn't slept on the plane flying back to Quantico. The team was worried about how things were going to affect their resident genius. Gideon had been his usual paternal self and had taken to sitting with Spencer on the way home. Hotch often wondered if anyone was going to be brave enough and call the unofficial 'Dad' of the team…well, dad.

Hotch pulled the car up to the front of the small two bed roomed house that Spencer called home. "Are you sure you're going to be alright on your own?" Hotch asked once again. He had the feeling that Spencer shouldn't be alone tonight. Gideon had told him that Spencer was still feeling numb about the events that had happened less than twenty-four hours before.

Spencer let out a little chuckle and answered. "Yes I'll be fine. I'm going to shower and go to bed. Nothing more." He undid his seat belt and opened the door, picking his messenger bag up off the floor. He stepped out of the car and stood up. He had to grip onto the roof and the open door to keep himself upright as he was hit with a sudden dizzy spell.

"Reid!" Hotch called as he saw the young man begin to buckle. He quickly got out of the car, racing to Spencer's side as he finished the fall to the pavement. "Reid?" he said again softly, hesitantly as he reached the young agent. Spencer had his eyes closed and his breathing was shallow, and he had his arms crossed over his chest as though they pained him.

"Sorry." The young man said as his finally got his breathing back to normal.

"Will you tell me now?" Hotch requested gently as he placed a comforting hand on Spencer's shoulder.

With a sheepish look he nodded and told him. "I have a mild concussion from Dowd and a few bruised ribs." There was no need for Spencer to say where he got the latter from.

A shot of guilt passed through Hotch's eyes. "I'm going to stay with you tonight, you shouldn't be alone especially with a concussion." He said as he helped the still slightly unsteady Spencer off the ground.

Hotch quickly locked his car and walked with Spencer into the small house. "Thanks but you don't have to," Spencer tried to argue as they walked through the door and went into the living room. Spencer was leaning against Hotch a little, he still felt slightly of center.

"I'm not leaving you alone. So go and get ready for bed, I'll sleep on the couch. I'm just going to call Haley and let her know where I am." Spencer sighed in resignation and went up the stairs so he could do as Hotch had told him, deep down he knew it was for the best.

Hotch watched him go as he took out his cell phone, flipped it open and pressed the speed dial button for home. It rang a few times before it was picked up. //"Hello?" came a sleepy soft-spoken voice that Hotch recognized as Haley's.//

"Hello Haley." He smiled.

//"Aaron?" she questioned. "When are you coming home?"//

"Sorry, but I won't be able to come home tonight. Reid has a concussion, **so I am staying with him**." Hotch apologized, he knew he should be home but what about Spencer, he would be by himself and if there was something more serious wrong then there would be no one to help him.

//"Aaron, I want you home, surly there is someone else that can watch over him," annoyance lacing her voice.//

"No one else knows. I was taking him home when I found out. You know someone with a concussion should not be left alone," he tried to reason with her. Ever since Haley had become pregnant she had become increasingly unreasonable. Every time he had to go away on a case she argued with him that he should be at home. And although a part of him said that she was right, another part was saying he was needed elsewhere, and that she at least had a loving sister that was taking care of her when he was away.

//"Aaron I want you home!" She practically yelled into the phone.//

"Haley I don't want to argue with you, I'm staying here for the night. Your sister is there with you in case something happens. Reid needs someone too; he has no family to rely on like you, and it seems that his only friends are his colleagues." He could hear the water running upstairs in the bathroom and knew that Spencer would not be long in coming back down.

//"You're a bastard Aaron, I'm your God-damn wife, and yet it is always the fucking BAU that gets the attention. Do what you want, you always do!"// The next thing Hotch heard was the slamming of the phone and then a dial tone.

Hotch closed his eyes tiredly and sighed deeply. Sometimes he wished he had never married. He could see why marriages often broke down. Working with the FBI was not only tiring physically and emotionally, but also time consuming, taking agents away from their homes as well as their families. He now understood why most agents had a tendency to hook up with one another after a while, as only they could see how important their work was, and why it took priority most of the time.

Hotch heard the water shut off upstairs and sat down on the couch to wait for Reid. It was a midnight blue. It stood out with the mahogany furniture against the white walls of the living room. The room seemed conservative. There were a few mementoes of the trips they had taken over the last three years to different parts of the country. They were all cluttered on a small end table out of the way; one had to look to see them. There were two bookcases filled overloaded with books. There was also a book out on an end table next to a large and over stuffed armchair.

There were very few pictures hanging on the walls around the room, he noted, telling him that Spencer had very few memories that were worth recording in such a way. There was one of the team taken a few months ago at the Christmas party, everyone had fun that night, and Morgan had even managed to get Reid a little drunk that night. In the picture Reid was a little flushed and leaning on Morgan, the whole team was smiling and having a good time. It was a really fun night. There were a couple of pictures of a young boy with a sickly looking woman, both were smiling though Hotch could see a little pain within both sets of eyes. He guessed that the young boy in the pictures was Reid, though looking a little older in each picture. The woman must be his mother, she became more pale and withdrawn in each picture as her son aged. It was the last picture that surprised him. It was Spencer at around eighteen. There was another young man in the picture. The two looked comfortable with each other, and had their arms around each other's waists. In the picture Spencer was smiling and looked more relaxed than Hotch had ever seen him, well except for the time at the Christmas party.

Hotch heard dulled footsteps come down the stairs. "I have a spare room that you can sleep in. The bed is made and everything," Spencer said. He was now dressed in old sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"Thank you." Hotch smiled as he watched Spencer sit down in the comfy looking armchair. Hotch was beginning to relax and let his emotionless mask fall slightly. He only kept it up at work, as it was easier to deal with the things he saw that way. "Who's the young man with you in the picture?" he probed, more than a little curious, as he had never seen Spencer that relaxed before.

Spencer smiled sadly, "He was my first boyfriend, Michael. I was 18 and was just finishing the last year of my second PhD. He was 19. He always found me no matter where I was. He dragged me out and made me socialize. He became a friend first and then a little while later things went deeper and we started dating."

Hotch looked at the sad smile that his friend was wearing and asked softly, "What happened?"

"Two months and twenty-seven days after that picture was taken he… he was murdered." Spencer uttered, his eyes taking a far off look as though remembering something other than the murder.

Hotch was quiet as he took in what Spencer was saying. He saw the look in the other's eyes and wondered about it. He didn't think he should pry into that far away look just yet. Whatever Spencer was remembering it still hurt him, though he hid it well. "What about the killer?" he asked a few minutes later.

Spencer looked at him and noticed that the older man was a little more relaxed than when he was at work. That was one of the reasons he was confiding in his friend. "They never caught him. There were another three killings, exactly the same after him in the area," he replied softly, his eyes still haunted with memories of the past.

"Never caught," Hotch said quietly to himself. The two were silent for a few moments, while Hotch let what he had just heard sink in a little. "I think we should get some sleep," he said as he picked up his overnight bag and stood up.

"Yeah, good idea," the young man said quietly as he too got up. The two walked up the stairs and Spencer showed Hotch the spare room and the bathroom. They said goodnight to each other and Hotch went into the bathroom to have a quick shower before going to bed.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Hotch had trouble sleeping. He had kept an ear out for the young genius, but had only heard him shift around in bed. He felt guilty for not only the physical pain that Spencer was in but also the emotional pain as well, especially having brought up the past. Hotch was thinking of what Spencer had told him just before they had gone to their separate rooms. He didn't care about the fact that Spencer was gay; he himself was bi. No, what kept him awake was thinking about Spencer's first boyfriend. He was murdered, the first of what he supposed was a serial killer. Hotch rolled over hoping that sleep would finally come. It had been a long twenty-four hours.

Sleep was beginning to clam him when he heard a muffled cry. Hotch got out of bed and went to Spencer's room. He opened the door and caught sight of the young genius sitting up in bed, knees drawn up, so that Hotch couldn't see his face.

"Reid" he said softly, hoping he wouldn't startle his friend, and walked further into the room, taking a cautious seat on the bed.

"It just hit me… I killed someone… I …" Spencer whispered as he trailed off.

Hotch put a comforting hand on Spencer's shoulder. "Reid can you tell me what would have happened if you hadn't made that shot?" he asked softly as Spencer lifted his head a little and looked at the older man with teary eyes.

Spencer was quiet for a moment as he thought about Hotch's question, "Dowd would have killed the hostages and us," he answered slowly.

"He would have, with no hesitation. So yes, you killed him, but in doing so, you saved a lot of innocent lives, as well as our own. Don't feel guilty for saving those people," Hotch told him sincerely, not really sure what he should be saying to the young man.

Spencer gave a small smile, "I know but I still took a life." His voice was small as he spoke.

Hotch pulled the young man into a hug. "You will always feel like that after taking a life. That little stab of guilt that hits you when you take what is a precious gift. But you have to put this in perspective, by killing Dowd you saved the lives of everyone in that emergency room as well as future victims. When you stop feeling that pang of guilt that is when you should truly worry. But don't feel so guilty about it, you had no choice," Hotch said as he held the young man, and kept quiet for a while hoping that his words would help Spencer just a little bit. "Feeling any better?" he asked after half an hour.

"Yes, thanks. What you said helped," Spencer answered honestly.

"Lie down and try and get a little more sleep. Okay Reid," Hotch said as he let go of his friend.

"Thank you. For staying," Spencer said softly as he lied down in his bed. "Goodnight."

Hotch smiled as he stood up. "Goodnight Reid," he said as he left the room and went back to his own, hoping to finally get some sleep.

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**A/N: I hope you have all enjoyed my first foray into the Criminal Minds fandom. Leave a comment/Review and tell me what you all think!**


	2. Chapter 2

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Title: The Nomad

Author: Duochanfan

Beta: Stacey, thanks bab, for the help and the wonderful ideas you have helped add to this fic!

Rating: Mature (to be on the safe side)

Warnings: Will be Slash, mention of rape, murder, (maybe a little more graphic later unsure at the moment.)

Spoilers: LDSK, The Fox and Natural Born Killer. The first three chapters deal with the after affects of each episode and then it's onto the main part of my fic.  
Parings: Hotch/Reid later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, never will. I'm just playing with the wonderful characters for a while until I return them.  
Summary: A new case becomes pain full for Spencer, as his past is dredge up. As this Unsub hit close to home once before. Will Aaron Hotchner be able to help his friend? Spoilers for LSDK, The Fox and Natural Born Killer.

A/N: Thanks to my sister who helped with the plot at the beginning, she had only watched two episodes lol, then again I've only watched nine of them. And one massive thank you to Stacey, for not only beta reading this but for also helping me close up the plot lines and giving me a few more ideas on how to make this fic better. Huggles

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**Chapter Two**

One thought went around the team's minds; eight rings. Two they already knew, but the other six were unknown until the team had gone through the journals that Carl Arnold had kept. It was disheartening to know that six other families had been murdered and the father most likely blamed for their deaths. Once the families had been identified, local law enforcement had sent someone around to the next of kin to inform them of the truth.

The team made their way back to the hotel they were staying at. They were to spend one last night before they flew back to Quantico. "Reid, may I talk with you in private for a moment?" Hotch asked as the team walked out of the elevator and onto their hotel floor. Spencer nodded to him and followed the older agent to his room.

"What do you need Hotch?" Spencer asked the dark haired man as he closed the door behind him once they entered the room.

"I want to talk to you about your interview with Eric Miller," he said as he took off his coat and threw it onto the bed. He walked over to the two chairs that were by the window in the bedroom.

Spencer fidgeted as he stood just inside the room. Hotch motioned for the young man to sit down. "Okay," he responded hesitantly as he took his own coat and let it join Hotch's on the bed.

Hotch looked at the nervous young man sitting in the chair opposite him. "During the interview, your attitude and the way you talked to him changed. Not only that, but how did you know about the sexual abuse, only the physical abuse was recorded."

Spencer looked away from Hotch's piercing brown eyes. "He kept telling me to look him in the eyes. So…so I did, and I saw it in them, the pain…the abuse…it was there, I could see it because I knew. But the other…the sexual I could see so clear," he answered softly, looking at his hands and doing his best to avoid Hotch's gaze. "It may have only happened once to me, by a total stranger, and not someone I should be able to trust…but the…the look I see in my eyes when I look in the mirror is almost the same," he finished, his voice getting lower as he spoke, and his once warm and welcoming brown eyes becoming haunted.

"Once?" he asked the young man hoping he would elaborate a little more but at the same time fearful of what he would reveal.

Spencer knew what Hotch wanted, and debated with himself as to whether or not to tell him. Could he trust him with the truth? The answer that came back was yes, he could. A moment later he spoke, his voice sounded soft and fragile. "A month before Michael was…murdered, I was going home alone. We had been to one of the under 21's gay clubs in the area. Michael was always dragging me to them, telling me I needed to get out a little more. We had gone to his dorm room after a night out, and Michael fell asleep; he had been up most of the night before doing a paper. I didn't want to wake him just so he could walk me half way home, though he would have walked me all the way home and stayed the night. He usually did," Spencer told him softly, and a small smile graced his face as he remembered his first boyfriend. "I walked home alone…I had a paper to do, and I needed to have it done for the next day. I had been putting it off so I could spend some time with Michael. I…I was…almost half way home…someone grabbed me…from behind. He…he bound me with cord and…then…he…he…raped me. It hurt so much. I tried to get him off of me, to fight, but I couldn't. I never saw his face, the only thing there was the smell of lavender, it was so overpowering. I hate that smell now, makes me physically sick when I smell it. I don't know if he knocked me out or I lost consciousness, I can't really remember. All I know is that I woke up in the hospital with Michael by my bed. They never found the guy for the month that I had left with Michael. He helped me come to terms with what had happened. I didn't have anyone else that I trusted. It hurt so much when…when I went into his dorm and fou…found him laying there. He was so still, and I could see bruises and blood. There was a cord…rope…around his neck. He had been raped and strangled. He took care of me after what I went through, and I wasn't there when he needed me," he finished quietly, his hands clasped together in front of him, shaking a little. He trusted Hotch more than any other, apart from Michael. He'd had a few relationships since, but none of them could handle the way he was for too long.

Hotch looked at the slim young man in front of him, the brown eyes were tearful but none fell. He wanted to get up and embrace Spencer, wishing that he could take away the pain in Spencer's eyes. He didn't though, thinking that it would not be proper of him. Also a part of him, that he didn't want to admit to, wanted to hold him and not let go. Hotch had only begun to admit a little of what he was beginning to feel for the young agent, and that was only trust so far, and a little more than friendship. The two had connected over the last couple of months, after spending time together, having dinner, and going to Spencer's house to relax. They had developed a deep trust with each other.

"You found him," Hotch stated quietly as he looked at his friend. 'It was one thing to find the body of a stranger, but to find the body of a loved one; it must have been shocking for him.'

"Yeah… I will never… never be able to forget. That's the curse of having a eidetic memory, people think it's a gift; it isn't," Spencer muttered.

Hotch brought his hands forward and clasped them around Spencer's own. He hoped it would bring the young man a little comfort. "You alright?" he asked, concern lacing his voice as he slowly and subconsciously stroked the back of Spencer's hand with his thumb.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I just…I've never told anyone. I couldn't talk to the people I knew back then. They were not my friends, they were all Michael's, and I didn't trust anyone enough to confide in them," he admitted. "I'm…I'm a bit of a loner in case you hadn't noticed," he said giving a dry chuckle and a weak smile.

Hotch smiled a bit, "I'm glad you trust me enough to talk to me."

Spencer looked at their clasped hands and smiled as he looked up. "I do Hotch. When people hear how many PhD's I have or my IQ they immediately think that I know everything, the answers to not only their inane questions but also to their problems. I don't think there are many that really see me; most see me as just a walking encyclopedia."

"Michael was different?" Hotch inquired, smiling.

"Michael, yeah he was different. He never thought of me as a know-it-all. He enjoyed reading as much as I do. He treated me as one of the guys until he plucked up the courage and kissed me. His friends didn't care and very rarely talked to me." He smiled as his voice became soft as he remembered the past.

"He sounds really understanding," Hotch said as he gave the hand that was still within his own a comforting squeeze.

"He was, but so are you. You are understanding of the way I am, and unlike others, you don't make the assumption that I know everything. I have been able to trust you like I wouldn't with others. We have talked about things that bother us with the cases we have, and come to understand one another," Spencer affirmed as Hotch released his hand. Spencer immediately missed the warmth and comfort it gave him.

Hotch sighed softly, "Yeah."

Spencer looked at Hotch. He was once again messing around with his wedding ring. "May I ask a question?" Hotch nodded his head indicating that he could. "Is there something wrong with you and Mrs. Hotchner? You…you keep fiddling with your ring and earlier you took it off. You have been doing that more and more over the last couple of months."

Hotch gave a small chuckle as he looked up at Spencer. "I don't think anyone else has noticed that," he confessed as he relaxed back into his chair.

Spencer frowned; surly someone else noticed Hotch's mannerisms, "So is there something wrong?" he questioned again softly.

Hotch gave a little sigh, "Haley. When she became pregnant, she became demanding, but it has gotten to a point where it is almost intolerable. Everything I do is wrong. When I am at home, she wants me out of the way, when I'm anywhere but home she wants me there. I can't do anything right lately," he admitted to his friend.

"She is driving you away, Hotch," Spencer told him quietly.

He needed to think on Spencer's words a little, so he went for the tried and tested distraction to give him a little time. "Aaron, when it's just us, call me Aaron," he said with a smile.

"Call me Spencer. JJ annoys me a little when she calls me Spence; Michael always called me that, he never once called me Spencer, no one else called me Spence, not even my parents," he chuckled lightly, but there was a sad note within his voice.

"You are right though, she is driving me away, Spencer. I just don't know what to do anymore. I've tried going with how she is, when she was pregnant, but now that she has had Jack, she is still the same." Aaron sighed as he closed his eyes and tilted his head back. "If it carries on, I know I'll end up leaving her and I don't want to do that to my little boy," he added, his voice full of repressed hurt. He opened his eyes to look at the white ceiling, the monotony of it broken with swirls of plaster.

Spencer quirked his head to one side as he thought about his friend's problem and tried to come up with a solution. "There is not much I can tell you that you don't already know Hot…Aaron," he said, stumbling a little over the unfamiliarity of using his boss's name. It seamed a little personal for him to use Hotch's first name.

"It's just nice to talk to someone who isn't going to bite my head off after I utter a single syllable," Aaron joked, though Spencer could hear a note of truth in his voice.

"I don't bite, I just listen. So if you need an ear, just ask and I'll be there," Spencer reminded him with a small smile. Aaron had done the same for him over the last couple of months, especially as he came to terms with having had to kill Dowd.

"Thank you," Aaron smiled, "do you want to get something to eat, just the two of us. It's only ten, so there should still be places open."

Spencer returned the smile. "Yeah that would be nice," he agreed as they stood up.

"You didn't eat much when we had dinner with the team earlier, and neither did I, so we could both do with a decent meal before we head to bed," he said as he went over to the bed and grabbed his coat and handed Spencer his.

"This case was hard, those kids, they… they'll never have the chance to grow up and have a future," he confessed, taking his coat from the other agent and putting it on.

Aaron smiled sadly, "yeah they always are, that will never change. Cases with children, or those younger than you, will be the hardest, as they are the most innocent and in need of protecting."

Spencer nodded his head. He had to admit that he found Aaron's statement to be true for him. "They all do," he whispered to himself.

Aaron looked at him; he had heard the quiet words and agreed with him. "Well, let's go find a place. What should we have, Italian, Chinese, Mexican or whatever we find?" he asked as he went over to the door and opened it.

"Thanks," he said as he walked through the door. "I'm in the mood for some pasta, so Italian. We should ask a receptionist see if they know a place."

"Okay." Aaron closed and locked the door behind them and they walked to the elevator.

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**Well I hope you have enjoyed this chapter the third one is halfway through at the moment. Thanks for reading and thanks to those who reviewed me. Oh and sorry it took so long to update, been a little busy with real life.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Fandom**: Criminal Minds

**Title**: The Nomad

**Author**: Duochanfan

**Beta**: Illucia, thank you for helping me get this going once again.

**Rating**: Mature (to be on the safe side)

**Warnings**: Will be Slash, mention of rape, murder, (maybe a little more graphic later unsure at the moment.)

**Spoilers**: LDSK, The Fox and Natural Born Killer. The first three chapters deal with the after affects of each episode and then it's onto the main part of my fic.

**Parings**: Hotch/Reid later on.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Criminal Minds, never will. I'm just playing with the wonderful characters for a while until I return them.

**Summary**: A new case becomes pain full for Spencer, as his past is dredge up. As this Unsub hit close to home once before. Will Aaron Hotchner be able to help his friend? Spoilers for LSDK, The Fox and natural Born Killer.

* * *

**The Nomad**

**Chapter Three**

Spencer watched as Hotch talked with Vincent Perotta. Hotch was sat down on the chair opposite him, the usual emotionless expression on his face.

"You were responding to what you learned Vincent. When you grow up in an environment like that, an extremely abusive and violent household… it's not surprising that some people grow up to become killers." Hotch said, his voice was soft yet commanding but Spencer could hear something in his voice, something hidden.

The guards came into the room and Hotch stood up and went over to the glass that Spencer was standing behind. Spencer's eyes widened a little. If Spencer didn't know that no one could see through the one-way glass he would swear that Hotch was looking at him dead in the eye.

The sound of Perotta's voice cut though both of their mind wonderings.

"Some People?" he asked, his voice betraying his curiosity at what Hotch had meant with his words.

"What's that?" Hotch asked as he turned back to face Perotta.

"You said some people grow up to become killers," he clarified for the agent that stood before him as the guard moved around him.

Hotch paused a second considering what he was about to say, and then answered, "… And some people grow up to catch them."

Behind the one-way mirror Spencer gasped a little as he realized what the words Aaron had said meant. Spencer watched as Aaron walked out and into the hallway. Spencer followed the agent and walked down the corridor a little to find Aaron standing, looking out of one of the windows.

"Hotch," Spencer called out to his friend. Only using his nickname since the two of them were still at work.

Hotch didn't answer straight away. He was deep in thought for a moment, thinking about what he would tell his friend, should he even say anything. He knew that he wasn't the most open of people, but recently after the Dowd case, the two of them had begun to get closer. Aaron had to admit that he had been comfortable in talking with the other agent about the problems that was going on with his wife, Haley. He didn't think that the two of them would last much longer; he wasn't what she wanted him to be.

"Reid," he said softly, almost a whisper, "I don't want to talk about it here, we'll meet later." he finally said, coming to a decision to talk with Spencer. It may help a little, since this case hit a little too close to him for him.

Spencer went and stood next to him, looking out of the window as well. "After work, head over to my apartment. We'll have something to eat and then we will talk?" he suggested in a soft voice.

Aaron smiled, he knew that Spencer would do something to get him to talk, but he couldn't fault the idea, "I'll bring the food." He had to admit that he enjoyed spending time with the other agent. He had gotten to know him away from the workplace and to see a side to the young genius that he didn't think many was able to see.

"What should we have?" Spencer asked him as he turned slightly to face the older man.

"Well. I was thinking Thai?" He suggested, open to other suggestions as he looked towards him.

Spencer smiled as their eyes met; this time there was no glass between them. The young genius thought for a moment, not really sure what he was in the mood to eat that night. Usually after a case he would be happy with what ever soup he could find within his cupboards. He could cook; he had made sure of that when he was looking after his mother when he was a child. "How about something Italian, pasta?" he then suggested remembering the new Italian take away and restaurant that had opened up not far from his apartment. "The place is very close to where I live. It's only just opened, so I don't know what the food is like, but they have a good menu," he told his friend.

"Then I'll go there and have a look at what they have, anything you want specifically though?" Hotch asked him.

"Yes," he said as he went into his mind and remember the menu that he had seen when he walked past the window. "I'll have the Ham Tagliatelle Alla Crema and the garlic mushrooms as a side." Spencer answered with a smile.

"Right, then I'll have a look at the menu and see what I like. Any wine or something to bring with me?" Aaron then asked.

"No, I don't think that would be a good idea. Let's leave the alcohol to another day." Spencer said, he knew that getting lost in memories with alcohol wasn't a good idea. "Oh and get some Tiramisu as well. I haven't had that in a while. Just hope this place makes it right."

Aaron nodded and then started to turn away, "We should get back to the rest of the team." he added as Spencer then followed him to get back to the rest of the team in the BAU bullpen.

XxXxX

Spencer Reid walked into his house. Tossing his keys into the dish that stood on a small table in the hallway that led to the living room as he walked passed it. He needed to tidy up a little, since he had left the place in a bit of a mess before he went out that morning. He had been doing a bit of reading before he had left for the morning. In the end, he had lost track of time and left the books he had been readying where they were when he had to leave. It happened every now and then, but not as often as one might think. Spencer went around the living room picking up the books and returning them to their places on the many bookcases within the room. He had a few more bookcases within his bedroom, but those were mainly his mother's books.

He placed the last one away on one of the shelves within his room and then grabbed a few of his clothes to have a quick shower before Aaron turned up. The older agent shouldn't take that long to get there, since he said he would leave the office after doing his last report on Perotta. Spencer had already finished his and did offer to help the older agent so the two of them could leave together. But in the end Aaron had declined and had told him to go home and he would be there as soon as he could.

He walked into his bathroom and started up the shower, letting the water heat up before he stepped in. He undressed quickly when it reached his preferred temperature and let the water wash over him. His mind going over what he had heard at the office when he was watching Aaron question Perotta. Spencer had gone through in his mind what Aaron had said and what it had alluded to, he just hoped that he was wrong, but a part of him knew he wasn't. It was a feeling he couldn't shake. He showered quickly and got out, grabbing a towel off the rack. He quickly dried himself off and got dressed in some old sweatpants and a t-shirt. His favorite lay about clothes.

He walked into the kitchen and grabbed some plates, knives and forks for them to eat their meal with and brought them into the living room. He placed them down on the coffee table and then settled down to wait for Aaron to arrive with the food. Spencer huffed a little, bored, he looked around and grabbed the remote for his TV that sat on the arm of the couch. He switched the TV on and then flicked through the channels, seeing if there was anything on that he could watch. He finally settled for a rerun of Star Trek The Next Generations and leant back against the couch and relaxed.

Spencer knew that this was going to be hard to get Aaron to talk. But he hoped that the closeness that the two of them now shared would be able to help with Aaron's reluctance to talk. Would he be able to get the other agent to tell him what he meant when he was talking to Perotta, or would he just fob him off with something. He didn't think that Aaron would tell him a lie, but there was always the fact that the other agent was a little closed when it came to his private life. Spenser sighed as he waited a little longer for Aaron to turn up. When he had talked with Aaron about his rape and the murder of his boyfriend, Michael, he had felt as though a weight that he didn't even know was there was now suddenly lifted. He wanted to get Aaron to talk a little, to see if it helped ease the other agents mind.

XxXxX

Aaron had ordered the food and was now waiting. He could see Spenser's house from where he was standing in the takeaway/restaurant. He knew that the other agent was going to be asking question that he hoped would never come up from those around him. It was something that he had kept quiet since he was child. The only one that knew what had happened to him was his mother and she had ignored it in favor of keeping the family together. He was just thankful that Sean wasn't involved at all, he wondered if his mother would have done something then or would she have continued to burry her head in the sand and pretend that everything about their lives were perfect.

Aaron had tried to do that with Hailey, create his perfect family, but in the end that was failing as well. He didn't think he would be able to keep things together with Haley for much longer, she was beginning to argue and demand more of him. He knew that he could always get a different job, but he loved what he was doing already, and that wasn't going to change any time soon. He got more out of the work he was doing at the BAU that he did within the DA's office. He wouldn't be able to do another job, he wouldn't be satisfied with anything else. He had tried to make Hailey see that. She wanted him to do things her way, and would not let him be himself, he always had to be perfect. Since he had started to stop doing that and be more true to himself, she had caused problems.

"Sir, your order," came the soft voice of the woman behind the counter as she held the bags with his and Spencer's food within it.

"Thank you," he said as he took the bags and went out to his car, he knew that it wasn't that much of a journey to Spencer's house, but he wouldn't want to leave his car just anywhere. He took a minute or two to reach Spencer's, he parked the car and got out. He was a little hesitant about knocking the door but went through with it in the end. He just hoped that things would be fine when he finally told Spencer what he meant.

Spencer got up from the sofa where he had just watched the end of the show and walked over to his front door. He looked through the peephole. It wouldn't do to open the door to a complete stranger after all. He smiled when he saw that it was Aaron. He opened the door and let the older agent into his home once again. He led the way to the living room where the plates were already sitting on the coffee table ready for them to dish out the food. They did so in silence. Neither of them wanted to break it. Spencer wanted Aaron to start first, while Aaron was waiting for Spencer to start asking questions.

The two started to eat sitting next to each other and absently looking at the TV, both of them weren't even paying attention to what was going on the screen. On occasions one of them would say a little something, but it would go back to the silence that was heavy and oppressing. Both of them knew that something more serious would be on the table for the to talk about soon enough. It was Spencer that asked the first question.

"Would you like to explain your answer now?" the younger agent asked as he ate another bite of his food.

Aaron sighed a little as he ate some of his own, "Well, why don't we finish eating first and then I'll talk. I promise."

Spencer nodded and could see this was another postponement of what they were going to be talking about. They would talk to each other, though it may not have been easy for them, Aaron wanted to tell his friend, and in a way a part of him needed to come clean about it all.

It didn't take the two of them long for them to only be left with the Tiramisu. Spencer cut two pieces for the two of them and handed one over to Aaron and sat back down. Spencer grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, so that the two of them would be able to talk without it distracting them from what they needed to talk about.

Aaron just sat there quietly; he didn't want to be the one to start this conversation off. He didn't want to say anything, he was the same back then when he realized that his mother knew what was going on. He hadn't seen the point in telling anyone since even his mother didn't care what was going on.

Spencer looked at his friend and shook his head a little, "Well, Aaron, you want to tell me what you meant when you said that to Perotta?" he asked the older man.

Aaron thought for a moment and then started to answer; "When I was a kid my father was…" he paused for a moment and then finished, "… abusive. He would find fault for almost anything I did, my grades weren't high enough, wasn't playing sport often enough. Nothing I did was good enough. He would just smack me around a little at first, but as I got older he would use other things. My mother knew what was going on, did almost from the beginning I would say. She never said anything, never did anything. She wasn't getting hurt though. Just me, when my brother Sean started getting older I made sure that I would be around all the time with him to make sure my father wouldn't go near him. He didn't in the end. It was just me, he wanted me to be perfect, the perfect son." He explained about his answer, telling something that had not been told to anyone. That only a few had even known about. Not even Sean had found out what had gone on, since Aaron had been able to prefect how to hide things.

Spencer wasn't as shocked as he thought he should be, he could see if now, the subtle things that told everyone what had happened a long time ago if they had bothered to look. Spencer had seen a slightly haunted looked within Aaron's eyes whenever they had encountered someone who was suffering abuse. He was also one of the few that could spot it almost straight away within the group. Then again, there was a bit of a rule going around that they were not to profile their fellow agents. Spencer thought that a good idea, and still did. Not everyone was willing to let the others know of things that had happened to them in the past.

"You rose above it in one way, but fell for it in another." Spencer said as he looked to his friend.

Aaron nodded, "I did my best to make sure that I would never become like my father, it is one of the things that I am worried about when it comes to Jack. I know that people who were abused can become abusers, I don't want to be that person." He admitted his fear to his friend, knowing that he could trust Spencer with such a thing. "And you are right I did fall for it with Hailey. She wanted the perfect husband; she wanted me to continue on in the DA's office. But when I came to the FBI, I found what I wanted to do. I don't look back in regret about it either. I came to work with the BAU and I find the work rewarding, even though it is stressful and plays havoc with my family life." Aaron then told him softly.

"You already have made sure that you wont be that person as you can acknowledge what might happen and find ways to make sure that it wont." Spencer nodded, he could hear the stress in Aaron's voice when he talked a little about Hailey, and he knew that something was going on between his friend and his wife and that it was just adding to the stress that he was already feeling from the job.

Aaron smiled a little; he was about to say something else when his mobile started to ring. The older man took it out of his pocket and noticed that he had missed two calls so far. He grimaced a little as he then answered the call.

/"Aaron, where are you?"/ Came the voice of his wife.

"I'm talking to Spencer for a while, I should be in forty five minutes to an hour." He told her, wanting to forestall any arguments that she might have.

/"I want you back here now, I need you here."/ She told him; her voice broke no arguments from him.

"I will be back as soon as I can," he told her softly.

/"No, not in a bit, now,"/ she told him once again. /"I've already waited almost two hours for you to come home, I am not waiting any longer."/

"Can I not have time for myself?" he asked her, getting a little annoyed at her. "I worked overtime again today. I do want to be home with you and Jack, but I need to have a talk with Spencer and then I'll be there. I just want a little time for myself" He told her, his voice beginning to hint of the weariness that her demands were causing him.

/"You know what, you want time to yourself, how about the rest of your life, I'm leaving. See you around Aaron,"/ she said as she put the phone down.

Aaron just stared at the phone in his hand, "she's left me," he mumbled mainly to himself.

"Aaron?" came the concerned voice of Spencer.

Aaron looked up at him, "She is leaving me, and you know what, I don't know if I should be happy or sad at that." He admitted softly.

"She has been driving you away for so long that you can't connect with her anymore. Though I have no doubt that the sadness part of you is mainly for Jack." Spencer said as he looked to his friend.

"I just hope that we are able to talk things through, I don't want to miss anything with Jack." Aaron said as he thought of his baby son.

Spencer nodded and then said quietly, "Give her a little time to cool down after this one and then talk it over with her. She may understand yet. And I have no doubt that you'll be able to see Jack and won't miss anything."

"Yeah, I think I should go though." Aaron murmured.

"Why don't you just stay the night here?" Spencer suggested quietly.

Aaron thought for a moment and thought that it would be a good idea, he really didn't want to see Hailey at the moment, he needed time to think about what had just happened. "Yes, all right I'll stay the night, and thank you Spencer." He smiled to the other agent.

"Don't worry," Spencer smiled back at him.

Aaron nodded at Spencer a little; he was still a little numb from the call with Hailey. There was just so much that was now on his mind and he didn't even know where he should begin to try and sort everything out.

"I think I was wrong earlier, I think this evening really needs a few glasses of wine." Spencer stood up and went to the kitchen of his home. He brought out a bottle of wine that he had been given some time ago, and two glasses. He poured and then held one out to Aaron and smiled gently as the other agent took it from him.

* * *

**Well I hope you have all enjoyed this chapter. Please tell me what you all think as well. I know it has been a very long time, but I think I may be able to do this once again. Thank you to those that have reviewed, and for those that have waited to see if I would pick this up again.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Criminal Minds, I'm just having a little fun and trying my hand at writing with them.**

**Thanks to Dead Feather for all the help you gave me in getting this chapter done and to a point where I am happy with it.**

* * *

**The Nomad**

**Chapter Four**

**Date – 13th December 2005**

**Confucius Once Said**

**If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear? **

Spencer Reid was once more working on the enormous amount of paperwork that was on his desk, though he did have a sneaking suspicious that it wasn't all his. He looked to Elle's Desk and then over to Morgan's. Both of their piles of paperwork were a lot smaller than his own pile of paperwork. He shook his head and carried on, it wasn't as though he couldn't get it done faster than the others.

"Have you been putting paperwork on my desk again?" he then asked, making sure that his suspicions were right one again.

Morgan and Elle shared a look at one another and tried to pretend that they were innocent. "We wouldn't do such a thing Reid." Elle was the first to say something.

"I'm fine doing my own," Morgan then said with a smile.

Spencer looked at the two of them one by one; Elle was giving him that too innocent smile, which showed that she was lying. Morgan was better at hiding his lies, though there was a slight creasing around the eyes as Morgan tried to keep his face straight and looking innocent. Spencer raised an eyebrow at them and shook his head.

"You both are lying." He said simply as he carried on with his work, "next time ask, I will do it this time but ask for next time will you. I may do it faster than the two of you, but I still have my own paperwork to do." He told them, hoping that they would listen, they had only done this a few times, mainly when it was piling up after a few back-to-back cases.

"I'll remember that for next time." Elle said, though Spencer thought that she would forget soon enough.

"Sorry kid," Morgan grinned at him.

"One day I may just throw them back at the pair of you, it may just teach you a lesson." Spencer said with a little huff.

"You wouldn't do that, you're to sweet." Elle smiled at him her eyes sparkling with humour.

Morgan laughed a little, "a sweet little kid," he teased.

"Morgan, I am a fully grown adult and have been for some time." Spencer argued back, wanting to blush from the remark.

At that point JJ and Hotch walked into the room and between the desks. The two of them looked serious and looked at the three of them still sitting down.

"We have a case, conference room now," Hotch said as he walked through and towards the conference room. The three stood up and followed the other two agents.

Spencer watched as Hotch walked through. He could see that there was tenseness around Hotch as there usually was when a new case came in. Though there was something else this time that caused the older man to be off his gait a little.

When all five of them were inside, they found that Gideon was also inside waiting for them. JJ went around giving each of them a file with the information and photos from the crime scenes that they would be working with.

"Dayton Police Department, in Ohio called this morning and asked if we would be able to help them with a case that they have. Three men have been attacked so far over the last four months. It may not seem a lot, but they haven't been able to come up with any leads so far and since the last one was a well known Radio DJ, the media are having a field day." JJ said as she set up the screen to show a picture of DJ William Feris at a local charity function.

"What about the other two victims?" Spencer asked as he opened the file and started to read.

"The first victim was Richard Hero, 23, found strangled in his apartment by his boyfriend. The boyfriend has already been ruled out, he was away at his sisters for a christening. He was dead by that time. The second victim was found alive, but is now in a coma, he is Daniel Green, 27, found at his work place during the early hours, he was found by a security guard. William Feris was found in the morning, in the car park near the radio station." JJ answered and gave a little more information, even though most of them were already reading it within the files.

Spencer was looking through the file to see if there were any crime scene photos within it but there weren't this time, he looked up at JJ and then towards Hotch, "There are no crime scene photo's?" he questioned the two of them.

"We haven't received them yet, I don't think we will get them before we head out. We'll have to wait to look at them and just rely on the information we have so far." Hotch answered the question that was put to them.

"So all we have for now is this?" Morgan said waving the file a little.

"Just that for now, we'll have fresh eyes on the latest scene today, since he was found yesterday." JJ told him with a smile.

"Any more information that we can ascertain from the file?" Elle said as she began to read as well, though she would be reading it more thoroughly on the flight over.

JJ nodded her head and then told them another few facts, "they were all raped before they were strangled to death. They were tied up and displayed from what they detective in charge told me."

"Anything else?" Gideon then asked as he looked up from his reading.

Spencer looked at everyone, first to Gideon who was already spreading out the two of the cases out and making a few observations about what was written. It wouldn't be long before he would bring out the third case and then compare the third to them all. Morgan sat next to him was twirling his pen around as he read a few words here and there. Elle was reading quietly, looking to the others to see if they had anything else to say yet. JJ was looking to the file on the table as she too was looking at each of them all. Hotch was the one that drew Spencer's eyes the most. The older agent had a set jaw and he now knew what had put Hotch off his gait. The crime was close to what had happened to him over five years ago, and what had happened to his boyfriend at the time.

JJ thought for a moment and then answered, "Yes, a note is left with each victim, no one has been able to solve it yet. Each of them is something different."

"We'll talk more on the plane, wheels up in twenty, get ready." Hotch said as he stood up with the file in his hand.

The others nodded their heads and started to leave the room. Each to go and get ready for the flight to Dayton, Ohio. Spencer noticed that Elle was the first one to pick up her phone, and he wondered if she had a new boyfriend since she didn't like the phone that much and would avoid using it. Spencer was the only one to notice her leaving the room as Aaron was following her with his eyes. The younger agent could see that Aaron was fingering his phone that was tucked away in his trouser pocket. Spencer wondered if he would be calling home as well. That maybe Haley was still waiting for him. The older man had not spoken again of any problems that he had with her two weeks ago when she said she was leaving.

"Everything all right Hotch?" Spencer asked when the others had left the two of them in the room alone.

"Thinking about calling Haley, I was going to see Jack tomorrow." Hotch answered simple as he pulled out his phone and placed it onto the table.

"Weren't you able to sort things out?" Spencer pried a little in to Aaron's personal life.

Aaron gave a small smile and replied, "I tried, and she just didn't want to listen to anything I said for a few days." He paused a moment before he continued, "She's with her sister now, along with Jack. She said she didn't mind me visiting, but there was no chance of us getting back together. We did have a little talk, but only to say that we were going to be separating for good. She wants a divorce, the faster the better, according to her."

"So there is nothing you can say that will change her mind?" Spencer asked, his heart went out to Aaron, even though Haley had pushed the older man away, the younger agent could tell that Aaron still cared for her.

Aaron shook his head, "Nothing that I can see, except finding a different job, and even then I don't think it would work to get her back. She is too… determined to get a divorce."

"Sorry to hear that." Spencer said as he stood up and went over the other man. He gave Aaron a squeezed on his shoulder showing his support.

"Thanks," he nodded and put a hand on top of Spencer's and squeezed back, "Lets get going, we've a case to solve." He added as the two moved apart and left the room to get ready for their flight to Dayton.

* * *

**Point I am going to make now, I'm a Brit, so if I get anything wrong I apoliogise now.**

**Well, what did you all think, please review and tell me what you think. I would love to know.**


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